Posted on 05/23/2016 10:50:01 AM PDT by Kaslin
We’ve been expecting this news for a while and now it’s official. The bench trial for Baltimore Police Officer Edward Nero – he of the Freddie Gray case – has come to a close and Nero was found not guilty on all charges. NBC News has the breaking story with ongoing updates
One of the six officers charged in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray was found not guilty on all counts in Baltimore on Monday.
Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams cleared Officer Edward Nero of charges of assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.
Nero, 30, was one of two officers who initially made eye contact with Gray before his arrest. Gray, 25, died on April 19, 2015, a week after his neck was broken while he was transported in a police van — shackled and handcuffed, but without a seat belt.
Baltimore police officer Edward Nero arrives at the Baltimore courthouse for his trial this month. AP
Nero faced charges of assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.
When I discussed this case last week I predicted that this was going to be the likely outcome. Nero’s attorneys wisely chose to go with a bench trial rather than taking their chances with a jury pool drawn from a highly agitated community steeped in attacks on the police coming from both the media and City Hall. The judge was the final arbiter here and heard all of the evidence which showed that Nero was only tangentially involved in the arrest and, in fact, only came in physical contact with Freddie Gray once during the entire arrest procedure. It’s not terribly shocking that the charges would fall through.
In an apparent effort to appease the public, City Hall is putting out the word that Nero may have been found not guilty in court, but he will still face internal review at the police department and could be subject to some form of sanctions or discipline there.
The long term fallout from this decision will once again fall on the shoulders of outgoing Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and prosecutor Marilyn Mosby. The Mayor’s time on the public stage is pretty much done anyway, but Mosby clearly has been eying bigger things in her future. Her handling of this case from day one, however, has been nothing short of a catastrophe. Rushing to bring charges against all of the officers and joining the mayor in promising “Justice for Freddie Gray” rather than simply justice for all involved has further inflamed tensions around Charm City and she helped to build up expectations that the officers were all guilty before they’d had their day in court. Now, with one hung jury and one not guilty finding, her case is falling apart on all sides. There are several more trials to come and she may still find one or more where she can get a conviction on something, but the raw, partisan political nature of this fishing expedition has been exposed.
But those, as I said, are the long term implications and they are primarily political. Of more concern is the short term reaction from the public. The moment the verdict was announced, MSNBC was on the air with various “civic leaders” who were already condemning the judge, along with the justice system in general and claiming that there had been no justice delivered. Guards were escorting Nero out of the courthouse under protection because of the obvious concerns over violence. We all saw what happened last time the city went over the edge because of this case and we can only hope that Baltimore doesn’t once again go up in flames after the sun goes down.
I agree, basically, of COURSE we ought to care.
Baltimore may have charms but the more important thing is for Baltimore to learn once more about God’s charms.
Meanwhile, get your free TV’s tonite.
Yep, and burn down some hard working mom and pop and son Asian businesses for 'Social Justice' on the way out da hood.
In Balti, they can’t mount an armed defense either, unlike the Korean merchants in the L.A. riots.
It will have to be the cops, who of course will be facing a thrice-stoked rage now.
So many fails, so many lessons.
You might want to check out the About LORD, Baltimore... page. It gets at exactly that point. Please pray the prayer on that page, or another prayer if that one doesn't suit you.
Thanks.
You read my mind.
She and the unlamented departed mayor are perfect examples of what Richard Pryor used to mock in his routines...rabble rousers and political hacks who toss around imaginary 50 cent words that have no meaning and who attempt to substitute quantity for quality.
The ‘gospel preacher’ schtick is as annoying as it is hypocritical since these people have probably avoided church for years.
Ultimately evangelization will have to come on the scene again. And it may only find a willing ear when the whole place has collapsed into visible chaos. Sometimes people won’t, or can’t, put aside their pride in the face of lesser challenges.
A riot is a loser’s opportunity to get lots of free stuff. They will not want the opportunity to go to waste.
This rabble-rousing junk is about as far from gospel as hell is from heaven...
"Nero, his wife and family are elated that this nightmare is finally over.
"The State’s Attorney for Baltimore City rushed to charge him, as well as the other five officers, completely disregarding the facts of the case and the applicable law,"
I see nothing on the list that sets Baltimore apart from, say, Seattle, also liberal, with a nearly identical list if you substitute local names. I avoid all larger cities myself but would favor Seattle of this pair because far fewer dangerous people inhabit the local environs.
Of more concern is the short term reaction from the public. The moment the verdict was announced, MSNBC was on the air with various “civic leaders” who were already condemning the judge, along with the justice system in general and claiming that there had been no justice delivered.
...
Feral humans get all stirred up by the media and the America hating president. After that nothing but a lynching will satisfy them.
From born-in-Iran Valerie Jarrett's mouth
to Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's half witted mouth
to our ears.
I notice there’s been a few of these police officers go for the bench trial.
Any city who gave us Babe Ruth and HL Mencken is fine in my book!
Williams grilled prosecutors during closing arguments last Thursday, questioning whether a crime was in fact committed by Nero.
“So, every time there’s an arrest without probable justification, it is a crime?” Williams asked.
“We believe that the search and arrest without justification are assault, your honor,” Deputy State’s Attorney Janice Bledsoe responded. “There’s no question about that.”
Legal experts say the tone of Williams’ pointed questions during closing arguments gave an indication it would be an uphill battle for prosecutors to win their case against Nero.
Freddie was faking injury when he was being arrested. Here’s a video that starts where it shows Freddie standing on the back of the van before they put him in. He wouldn’t be standing like that if his legs or neck were injured.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YV0EtkWyno&feature=youtu.be&t=2m21s
And the Star Spangled Banner, and Edgar Allan Poe, and Johns Hopkins, and Shock Trauma, and ...
I heard that if you are innocent it is best to ask for trial without the jury. If you are an innocent white cop in a black city that would make a lot of sense.
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